Weekly press conferences have never been more entertaining.

Get all the latest from Ross Lyon as the Saints steady themselves for a mouth-watering Gather Round clash with Collingwood at Adelaide Oval.

1. The cavalry is coming

At last, St Kilda's injury list is steadily starting to shrink.

Tim Membrey is due to enter the selection frame after being withheld from the opening month of the season following knee surgery, while captain Jack Steele is likely to follow suit the week after in time for Round 6 against Carlton.

Lyon is confident Membrey will put his hand up to play in Gather Round off the back of the Saints' two remaining training sessions, but whether or not it will be a swift recall to the senior line-up or a patch in the VFL to readjust is still to be determined by match committee.

It's a good problem for Lyon and the Saints to have, particularly with the way the young crop of Mattaes Phillipou, Anthony Caminiti and Mitch Owens have fared alongside the experienced Zaine Cordy, Dan Butler and Jack Higgins.

Ross says...: I was thinking about (Tim) myself this morning. We'll get all the numbers on him. He's in our leadership group, he's been a very experienced key forward for a fair bit of time, but in saying that, our incumbents have been getting the job done. He needs to show that he's up and about and feels confident in his body. There's a lot of variables to go into it, but at this point he's still got to jump some hoops before we can make a decision. 

2. 'Marginal wins' must-haves for Marshall

Hearts skipped a beat when Rowan Marshall was subbed off in the final term of Saturday's match against Gold Coast, but Lyon says there's no cause for alarm.

With an eight-day break incoming and the win assured after building up a healthy advantage, Lyon pulled the pin on the fan-favourite ruckman to bank a "marginal win" and freshen him up ahead of Gather Round against the Magpies.

Marshall has taken the ruck reins solo following the retirement of Paddy Ryder, but Lyon emphasised the extra workload hasn't slowed him down.

Despite Collingwood's own ruck stocks being thinned following injuries to Darcy Cameron, Mason Cox and Nathan Kreuger, it won't be a walk in the park for the Saints. The Magpies outscored the Lions in clearances during last week's encounter at the Gabba, despite being down their main men.  

Ross says...: If you've got a son, don't tell them to play in the ruck! It's very combative in there, most teams have one (ruck) with a bit of a second. He's been carrying a big load, he's a big runner and really important to us, so if he can just take little wins along the way (that'll help). We thought we'd take the win, just give him a rest. We've only got one of him at the minute, but Tom Campbell's going well really in the VFL.

3. On the road for Gather Round

Lyon may not be racking up the Frequent Flyer points as often as he did while coaching Fremantle, yet is eager to have the Saints hit the tarmac for the inaugural Gather Round.

All 18 teams will take to South Australia in the football festival, with the Saints and Magpies closing out the extravaganza at Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon. It will be the first time the Saints travel interstate in 2023, with another six pencilled in for the remainder of the year.

With a "formidable opponent" in sight and a chance to make it five consecutive wins, Lyon was intrigued to see how St Kilda's team system stacked up against those of their fellow top-four counterparts.

Ross says...: We're really excited about Gather Round and it's got a lot of energy around it, hasn't it? I'd be shocked if there were no Pies or Saints there going mad. The concept's great, the town will be rocking, won't it. We haven't travelled all year... I previously used to travel every second week and it was a bit of a grind, but we can't wait to get on the bird and get away together.

4. No veering off-course

A 4-0 start to 2023 has been surprising on multiple fronts, but Lyon says the Saints won't be straying away from their "year of exploration" no matter how the year pans out.

St Kilda last posted an undefeated opening month in 2009, also under Lyon, backing it up this season with a percentage of 160.4.

Ross says...: We're still exploring the tenement, aren't we? Going into Round 1 with the system, we thought it would stand up and we'd done the work, but until you test yourself (you don't know). We feel we're learning and improving, but it's still the same with individual players learning about the roles. We always aim to win... so we want to bring our system, effort and leadership and see where that takes us.

5. IN: Steele

Pencil it in.

Ross says...: